The present invention relates to a support system for supporting a paper magazine carrying a roll of photographic printing paper.
There are known photograph printers for exposing a tape of photographic paper (referred to as a paper) to optical images of a negative film and subjecting it to a developing process for reproducing photographic images. In the printing operation, the paper, wound on a reel, is commonly stored in and drawn out from a paper magazine, which is loaded on an enclosure of an exposure unit.
The paper magazine needs to be supplied with a new roll of the paper upon consumption of the paper. Also, when a different print size is requested, the paper magazine has to be replaced with one suited for the size. It is therefore essential to provide a support system for easing the loading and unloading of the paper magazine on the enclosure.
In a prior art system, a vertically placed paper feeder box for communication with the paper magazine and a pair of magazine guides for guiding the passage of the paper magazine are provided on an approximately horizontal support surface. For loading, the paper magazine is moved along and between the two magazine guides to the paper feeder box so that a paper outlet, arranged in the upper front end of the paper magazine, comes to face a paper inlet provided in the upper feeding side of the paper feeder box.
When the paper magazine is placed in its loaded position, it is locked, by a locking mechanism.
The paper inlet of the paper feeder box of the prior art system as noted, is located in the upper feeding side thereof. The leading end of the paper released from the paper output of the paper magazine tends to go downward, as it has been wound on a reel, and has to be lifted up by hand to feed it into the paper inlet of the paper feeder box while the paper magazine is being advanced on the support surface towards the paper feeder box to its loading position. This loading action requires a considerable length of time, with troublesome adjustment.
In addition, the paper outlet of the paper magazine is also located in the upper front side thereof. If the paper magazine is tilted due to mechanical gaps between the feet of the paper magazine and the magazine guides, its paper outlet become misalignment with the paper inlet of the paper feeder box, thus preventing the leading end of the paper from feeding from the paper inlet to a pair of advance rollers in the paper feeder box. As the paper magazine is biased between the two magazine guides due to the mechanical gaps, it will hardly permit a feeding action of the paper with the desired accuracy.